This invention relates to pipe couplings and similar fittings and to processes for their manufacture and application.
Considerable effort has been expended over many years to provide simple and reliable means for joining the abutting ends of pipes and conduits. Whatever method is used should not interfere substantially with the material in the pipe, nor should flow be restricted to any significant extent. The joint between the two pipes should be capable of withstanding any mechanical or chemical misuse that the pipes themselves can withstand, without being too expensive or difficult to install, repair or replace.
With the great use of pipes in aerospace applications, for example in aircraft hydraulic lines, additional requirements of light weight and, in some cases, small size have to be met. Also, as aircraft are frequently taken apart for servicing, the connections to hydraulic equipment to various components have to be broken and remade in the aircraft, often in confined conditions. These requirements militate against the use of welded or brazed connections which would otherwise appear to be an obvious method of overcoming the problem. Welding or brazing, however, requires bulky equipment which must completely surround the pipes to be joined and a welded joint cannot readily be taken apart and remade.